Chapter Text
Blisk eyes darted up at the faint sound of footsteps in the corridor. Raising an eyebrow he took another sip of his drink. He was less concerned about himself, And more about the stupid bloke that would be bothering him this time.
"Kuben God damn blisk, long time no see huh?" The voice started up. The guy's face looks slightly familiar and he recognises the voice mostly from a long ago memory. Either way, Blisk was pretty sure he had definitely threatened this guy. Then again that's how most people knew him…
"Have I threatened you before?" He asked, a grin on his lips, placing his glass back onto the table, he watched as the mystery man walked closer. "Sure did." He started and now blisk was interested, as the more he talked, the more blisk felt he recognised this man. "Some 20 so years ago in the battle of typhon"
"When I beat the shit out you men." He finished with a short chuckle as he got to the side of the table, but decided to still stand up. It was then it clicked for Kuben who he was talking to. "Jack fuckin' Cooper, never thought I would see you again, kinda hoped you had kicked the dust back on typhon." He laughed, grabbing his glass and leaning against the seat this time. "The years haven't been treating you well huh? Turning gray like me soon, boy" he finished.
It was true, being a solid 20 years older since that fight, Jack was starting to get more old and he can't really continue to deny the gray hair that was slowly turning up in his beard. "Still fighting strong, but that is not why I'm here." He smirks. Finally Cooper was starting to get his full attention. "Come to finish me off or join me? Either way, I'm interested." He chuckled, taking another sip of his whiskey.
Blisk might be getting up in his late 60's but he's completely ready to fight Cooper for the second time. Especially ready to blow his brain out with the wingman strapped to his thigh. "Not exactly…" he heard Jack mutter before throwing something onto the table in front of him.
With a closer look, it was nothing else but an apex predator card… with a quick furrow of his brows, he remembered a brief memory of throwing the card on his destroyed titan. He was impressed that the kid managed to keep it.
"I want you to get me into the game" he started, finally taking a seat on the chair across his blisk. Still with the carefree and determined feel he has always had. "Heard about two other kids that got into the games this way, thought I might give it a try myself" he explained himself, crossing his arms and giving blisk a smile. The type of smile people give you when they know you're backed up in a corner.
It only makes him want to punch Cooper ever so more.
He laughed and shook his head. "You got a point, besides… an infamous pilot might bring more money to the games" he picked up and turned the old card in his hands. This was clearly the original by the tearing and burnt edges and how it looked like it's been stuffed in many pockets over the years. "I would have imagined you would still be in the militia as a pilot. Why would ya want to join these death wishes?" He asked, and surprisingly, he was curious.
"I still am. Cap Jack Cooper. Brings is… in nicer terms, forcing me to take a break from fighting and stress. So…" "so you thought another death trap would be better?" He laughed as if what Jack was saying was a joke, it sounded funny and stupid enough to be one. "Games are safer and have more action, I think it's just what I need." As determined as Jack was, Kuben couldn't stop himself from blurting "you gonna get yourself killed, son" out with raised brows.
With a short laugh, Cooper just replied with, "I have been told."
"Well…" he drew out as he checked the time. "There's a dropship on the way to the battle ground right now but it won't be there for another 1 hours. If we're fast enough, we can be there with 10 minutes to spare" he looked up again. "But I can't guarantee you'll have a team, let alone a teammate."
Jack seems to think about it for a second. "My first game being solo seems pretty ironic, don't you think? Already fought a whole war by myself, I think I can handle a game." He joked, he wasn't alone for the major parts of that battle but there were some pretty close times where he only had BT by his side… thank god he has him back and all's good again.
Blisk replied back with a smirk, "if you say so Cooper, but there gonna be some old faces you'll recognise and some you won't. either way, they ain't gonna be happy with you there." Took a long sip of his drink, watching the other trying and remembering who he's seen of the legends before.
"If you're talking about the Ash from your little apex predator group, I think I'll be fine," he said back. Now leaning on the table instead.
"I was more thinkin' about little viper." Blisk laughed, that Valkyrie was already pissed at him for dragging her dad into the battle and getting him killed. He can also imagine how angry she'll be when she finds out how was the one to actually kill him.
"Little viper?" Jack can only remember one person slightly similar to that and he killed him back on that typhon. "Is that some… copy cat of your old guy?" He questioned, a more confused than concerned look on his face. Blisk seemed to think for a second before answering with "sort of, just don't call her that. She is a quick one to anger" he grinned.
"Welp" blisk finally said, standing up this time and leaving his glass on the table. "How about we get to it then?"
Valkyrie's head peaked toward the door of the dropship when it opened up and a new guy walked through the doors. It usually wouldn't be anything unusual, but there was something about this guy that made her stop. She noticed Bangalore staring at him too. "Love, are you alright?" the hand on her shoulder made her jump slightly. Which didn't help her girlfriend's worries.
Her eyes narrowed but Valk quickly laughed it off. "That guy just had a pilot helmet." "Like the type your dad had?" She asked and Valkyrie nodded.
"I just wonder…" she started but Loba stopped her with a hand on her cheek, giving her a small kiss before getting up. "We can always ask him later, for now, it is time for the games." Loba helped her up, and Valk appreciated her calming words and got ready for the drop. "Goodluck babe" she told her before they had to split up in their teams.
She was with mirage and wraith while locals were with bloodhounds and mags. She gave loba one last smile before wraith and mirage conversation brought him back. "So… is there a new guy? And he's just alone for his first game?" Mirage asked, before questioning himself with- "or is this his first game?? I have never-"
"It's his first game, I have no idea who he is." Wraith cut mirage off before he could finish his train of thought.
Valkyrie laughed with a smirk. "Well then, let's show him one hell of a first game"
They managed to go most of the game without meeting any other teams. Even after 2 rings had shrunk, they still didn't see anybody. "What was in that care package again?" Mirage asked, Valkyrie checked her map but she noticed it had been gray out. Looks like somebody had gotten to it. "A kraber, but it's already been taken." She explained just as they got scanned by a survey beacon.
"It came from…. What?" Wraith question as she looked at her map this time. It made the group stop up in the open. "What?" "It doesn't show"
"What do you mean it doesn't show." Valk pulled up her map while it still was showing on the map and sure enough. It had the pulsing effect as normal But this time it came from the middle of the map where there weren't any becons to scan.
Mirage got the two of them out off the map and got them to walk along again. "Probably a bug or something. Who knows, maybe it's the new guy ability?" Mirage questioned.
"The ability to scan a survey beacon without showing where?" Wraith asked, it wasn't unlikely but it didn't seem right either. Wraith looked around for a second before running for cover. "Somebody's aiming at us!" She yelled, setting valk and mirage into a run as well.
They followed after her as slid down under the floor of the energy depot. Valk got on her feet and instantly aimed behind them, but nobody had followed them. Wraith listens for footsteps, trying to figure out where the team where.
It wasn't until the void started to talk to her again. "Behind" it mutters, causing her to turn quickly and hitting a mirage. She snapped her head toward Valk as the voice muttered "behind her" but still nothing. Valk didn't even seem to be bothered by anything, she was still watching out with her weapon aimed and ready.
The voice continues to mutter as if somebody was walking behind them. As if-
They're invisible!
It stopped suddenly behind mirage this time. "Mirage behind-" she yelled at the same time as the void, but before he had the chance to turn. He was knocked and standing there was the guy with the kraber.
He switched quickly to a peacekeeper but wraith was faster, she phased but in turn Valkyrie was hit instead. She got out of the little room and before she was even inside again, Valk was insanely close to being knocked too. "What the-" Valkyrie got knocked before she could finish the sentence.
she came back just in time to see the guy jumping around the walls and basically ceiling at this point. "Fuck-" wraith tried to fight back but with one way to well place kraber shot and she was out too.
They barely had a chance to fight before all three of them were gone. All to one person, it was a 3v1 and they still lost.
"I mean- who even is this guy! Acting like he can just get into the game and win like it's nothing!" Mirage exclaimed, half pissed and half jealous the three of them had moved to his with many of all the other legends beside loba, bloodhound and Maggie. Them being the last team beside that one pilot. "I'm still curious who he is. Looks like a legit pilot, "Bangalore explained, leaning on the bar with her back turned.
"And we're just getting some news about the mystery guy. He is just confirmed as a new legend!" The announcer on this apex game excitedly told. They hadn't had a sound legend join like this ever since revenge join. "Seems like we'll be stuck with him either way." Valk let out a sigh.
Mirage slid a beer toward her. "At Least he's good. I have an uncle that's a pilot, haven't seen him in ages though, kinda miss him.." Mirage sidetracked but was pulled back out of his thoughts by Bangalore sarcastic laughter. "Pilot used to mean something great." She shrugged as she called for a beer from Elliot.
They watched the screen as the guy went invisible and ran right out into an open field where loba and her team didn't even realize how close he was getting to them. "Apparently the legend's name is just pilot- wait no, it seems to be B.T.P but we don't know what it stands for." One announcer exclaimed. "Let's just call him pilot for now, his ability seems to be based on them" the second one explained.
"Really? Just 'pilot'?" Wraith asks, surprised and slightly confused by it. "Huh, thought it would be more dramatic," she let out a soft giggle, causing mirage to laugh as well.
"Honestly, I remember my uncle telling me about his teammate's nicknames. It shit like 'gates' and 'bear' " Mirage laughed, this Bangalore chuckled this time as well. "Either pilots are just bad at naming themself or they get stupid nicknames by others." Bangalore, laughing.
"Hey! Not all pilots. My dad got called the viper "Valkyrie hit Bangalore shoulder in a playful manner. she just chuckled, pushing her arm away. "He told me it was because of how effective he was. 'As effective as a viper hunting' he used to tell me" valk grinned. She alway got a big grin or small smile when she talked about her dad.
"Wasn't he a part of those apex predators? Weren't they also a group of pretty bad mercenaries?" Rampart joined in. Sitting down in a seat by the part before leaning over to give mirage arm a punch. "survived longer than you this time, huh witt?" She grinned. Valkyrie could only guess it was from mocking him as usual.
Mirage let out an annoyed sigh. "Come on! I was unlucky, okay! I came up against that guy!" He pointed to the screen "no way I could fight him headshoting me with a KRABER '' Mirage defended himself, it made everybody at the bar laugh. But definitely not as much as Rampart was laughing.
"Most have gotten to you first because he got my team too." She explained, that surprised everybody as well, two faults squad he managed to wipe on his own? "Wait shit look! Loba about to get him" Mirage was probably about to say some cheeky comeback but instead he turned everybody's attention to the monitors.
Sure enough. The pilot was on the ground with his helmet opened up. He looked way older then what mirage had expected- but then again, he doesn't really know what he expected him to look. "Any last words?" Loba still has her cheeky little smile she always does. Her foot on his foot with much pressure, making sure to keep him down.
With both arms up to each side of his head, He breathed out "I thought being stepped on was supposed to be nice-" and like that the match was over.
People couldn't hold back from laughing at the pilot joke by the end of it.
"I don't think we show him one hell of a first game" Mirage started "I think he showed us one hell of first game" he joked, picking up a beer for himself. Valk just shook her head with a grin. The guy was one heck of a pilot. She respected that, but he can never be better than what her dad was.
It wasn't long until Jack got a call from briggs, and to say that she was livid was an understatement.
“I specifically told you to take A BREAK, Cooper!” He had to hold the phone away from his ears by how much she was screaming at him. “but-” “no don't you even get started! How did you even manage to get into the games?!” She questioned, at this point Jack felt like he was being interrogated. both Jack and sarah stayed quickly for a few second before-
“don't tell me-” “I may have contacted kuben blisk…? But listen! It was because I saw some kids had gotten into-” he started but Brigg quickly started to cut him off. Jack is already moving the phone further away from himself, he Knew what was to come… “YOU DID WHAT?! Cooper what the actual fuck were you thinking!” she yelled. Probably loud enough that the other legends could hear her.
Jack ran a hand down his face. As he moved the phone closer again he could hear somebody else on the other side yelling “don't tell me he did what I just heard he did-” in the back with Briggs yelling back that he did.
He couldn't stop himself from laughing at that. “don't you dare laugh at this, pilot!” Brigg had quickly turned her attention back to him. She had a different tone to her voice now that immediately made Jack straighten up his posture and reply with “Yes ma’am”.
“I better see you back on the base with in 2 months or I'm coming down and shooting you myself, cooper” she finished, and with a final click the call was disconnected.
His helmet flickered to life and he knew what that meant. He picked it up and moved the helmet in front of himself. “If I didn't know better, Cooper, I would say that a very angry Sarah Briggs will be waiting for us back at base.” BT joked, Jack let out a little chuckle before shaking his head. He is still glad that he learned the AI how to make and understand jokes.
Letting out a sigh he continued.“ she just has a weird way of showing she cares about us.” he tried to convince himself. He eventually put the helmet back on after a moment. “If anything, it will give us 2 months so have some fun around here!” He laughed.
“I don't think we should push our luck, Jack.” Was all that BT replied with before going offline. Jack was gonna miss not being able to see BT or any of his other teammates.
“You know, BT” Jack started, before getting up and stretching his arms over his head. “I'm gonna miss you while I'm here.” Jack finished. BT took a moment before replying, “but I'm here.” His voice calm aswell.
It threw Jack off sometimes, BT still hadn't learned the idea of tone of voice. He found it funny though. “I mean being near you, fighting with you, asshole!” Jack laughed. “It's not the same here.”
It wasn't too late yet but Jack was exhausted by this point and all he wanted to do was have a good night of sleep. He started walking toward the door but soon jumped back when suddenly there was somebody in the doorway. “Jeez dude! I know people fall for me but be carefull” the guy at the doorway started, walking into the lounge. “Where's the new guy! I'm elliot- I mean fuck- I'm mirage!” Mirage got there in the end, even if he stumbled over his word.
“pilot but feel free to call me jack. Nice to meet you, mirage.” Jack replied, extending his hand but mirage was already past him, seemingly searching for something. Jack watched his walk around, cracking a smile underneath the helmet.
Mirage nearly forgot about Jack was he looked around. He quickly turned back to him with an awkward laugh “you had one hell of a game today. I still can't get over how you got me with a kraber of all things.” He laughed and so did Jack, and Jack himself was still impressed he managed to get multiple people with that kraber.
“It's called luck. Did get so lucky with the final team.” Jack chuckled, and mirage went back to searching. Cooper was starting to get curious about what he was looking for. "Yeah, we saw." He mentioned casual. Jack was about to ask what he meant but apparently he found what he was looking for; his phone.
And before he even had the chance to get another word in, Mirage was already on the phone with what sounded like his mom. Jack decided it was time to just leave and get to bed.